1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for a patient to contact a physician remotely and to receive medical services via a virtual clinic which contracts with doctors and insurance companies, and allows for the patient to submit remotely diagnostic information from his/her home so that a physician may make a diagnosis and recommend treatment.
2. Background of the Related Technology
In the United States alone, nearly a million people visit their doctor at least once (National Center for Health Statistics-http: www.cdc.gov/ncds/fastats/docvisit.htm). The average patient visits a doctor 3.1 times per year. The most frequent principal reason for the visit is a general medical examination, the most frequent diagnostic procedure performed is a blood pressure check, and the most frequent principal diagnosis is upper respiratory tract infection. Other diagnoses in the top 20 categories for which patients visit their doctor include diabetes, arthritis, asthma/bronchitis, sinus infection, etc.
A typical visit to the doctor's office involves the patient completing a questionnaire detailing demographics, insurance/financial or payment procedure, personal information (habits like smoking, occupation), past medical problems, family history, and the reason for the present visit. The physician or one of his/her staff asks the patient additional questions and records the patient's pulse, blood pressure and weight. The physician performs a visual examination of the patient, and may inspect the ears and throat, listen to their heart, lungs and abdomen with a stethoscope, feel the patient's body for enlargement of organs, accumulation of fluid in the body cavities, any lumps or tender spots, range of movements or restriction of various joints and a neurological exam, etc. The physician may then order laboratory investigations such as blood tests, EKG, X-rays, etc. Based on part or all of this database, the physician formulates a diagnosis and, if necessary, recommends a treatment which can be one or all of the following:
1. Medicines
2. Surgery
3. Physical therapy
4. Rest
5. Observation
6. Additional evaluation, consultations, diagnostic testing, etc.
Follow up visits for minor complaints such as a sore throat usually do not require thorough examination. Follow-up visits to reassess the effectiveness of blood pressure medicines or diabetic medicines typically involve a discussion and/or limited examination. Doctors usually maintain offices in expensive medical buildings, have staffs which command high salaries, have multiple phone lines and other overhead expenses which are ultimately all added to the patients' bills.
The patient or his or her legal-guardian typically makes an appointment to see the doctor days to weeks in advance, mostly at the doctor's convenience, leaves the home or office, drives several miles, misses work, tries to find a parking spot (which may not be available or gratis), and waits in the doctor's office before he or she is seen.
Most of the office visits, especially for follow up or for minor complaints, are very brief examinations with the physician, require an inordinate amount of time, and money is wasted in the process. Additionally, the driving back and forth and waiting may exacerbate the patient's condition.
Telemedicine is the use of electronic information and communication technology to provide and support health care when distance separates the participants.
A major drawback of the presently available telemedicine system is its set up cost, which are approximately $100,000 per site. At a minimum, there must be two sites, one for the patient and one for the doctor. Moreover, both the patient and the doctor have to travel to their respective telemedicine facility because the communication signals only begin and/or end at the facility and nowhere else. Furthermore, there are no mechanisms for integrating telemedicine into an existing physician practice to facilitate payment for telemedicine-based services.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a mechanism which allows for a patient to contact a physician remotely and to receive medical services, wherein the arrangement of services between doctors and insurance companies is facilitated electronically and provides the ability for patients to submit diagnostic testing to a physician and to correspond with that physician, such that they can receive a diagnosis and treatment.